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The Roger Kahn Reader: Six Decades of Sportswriting
Most famous for his classic work The Boys of Summer , Roger Kahn is widely regarded as one of the greatest sportswriters of our time. The Roger Kahn Reader is a rich collection of his stories and articles that originally appeared in publications such as Sports Illustrated , the New York Times , Esquire , and the Nation .
Kahn’s pieces, published between 1952 and today, present a vivid, turbulent, and intimate picture of more than half a century in American sport. His standout writings bring us close to entrepreneurs and hustlers (Walter O'Malley and Don King), athletes of Olympian gifts (Ted Williams, Stan Musial, “Le Demon Blond” Guy Lefleur), and sundry compelling issues of money, muscle, and myth. We witness Roger Maris’s ordeal by fame; Bob Gibson’s blazing competitive fire; and Red Smith, now white-haired and renowned, contemplating his beginnings and his future. Also included is a new and original chapter, “Clem,” about the author’s compelling lifelong friendship with former Brooklyn Dodgers pitcher Clem Labine.
Written across six decades, this volume shows Kahn’s ability to describe the athletes he profiled as they truly were in a manner neither compromised nor cruel but always authentic and up close.
Kahn’s pieces, published between 1952 and today, present a vivid, turbulent, and intimate picture of more than half a century in American sport. His standout writings bring us close to entrepreneurs and hustlers (Walter O'Malley and Don King), athletes of Olympian gifts (Ted Williams, Stan Musial, “Le Demon Blond” Guy Lefleur), and sundry compelling issues of money, muscle, and myth. We witness Roger Maris’s ordeal by fame; Bob Gibson’s blazing competitive fire; and Red Smith, now white-haired and renowned, contemplating his beginnings and his future. Also included is a new and original chapter, “Clem,” about the author’s compelling lifelong friendship with former Brooklyn Dodgers pitcher Clem Labine.
Written across six decades, this volume shows Kahn’s ability to describe the athletes he profiled as they truly were in a manner neither compromised nor cruel but always authentic and up close.
408 pages, Hardcover
First published June 1, 2018
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About the author
Roger Kahn
46 books64 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Roger Kahn was best known for The Boys of Summer, about the Brooklyn Dodgers.
Roger Kahn was best known for The Boys of Summer, about the Brooklyn Dodgers.
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September 19, 2018
It's no accident that Roger Kahn is considered one of the greatest sportswriters of the 20th century. This "reader" is a collection of pieces that mostly are not collected elsewhere. So I don't know if you'd consider these "seconds," but they are still a good indication of Kahn's depth as a writer. The book centers on baseball, with a few other sports thrown in from time to time. A lion's share of the pieces are from the 1950s, which is fine by me. Kahn strikes a fine balance between being too chummy with his subjects or being too cynical. He appreciates the players without sucking up to them or worshiping at their altar. He has a special interest in their "real lives," which were probably a lot more "interesting' than athletes' lives today. He also has a personal perspective on the Dodgers, as he grew up in Brooklyn and went to the dump that was Ebbets Field four times a year. I suppose after making my way through this reader I should now find a copy of The Boys of Summer.
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